Alpha Dragon's Jackal (The Dragonfate Games Book 3), page 12
“Sure,” I said. “But, uh, where exactly are we going?”
I only saw three plain walls, plus the huge glass window. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t anywhere to go.
In any case, I followed Cobalt. He stood in front of a wall. Was he going to meditate into another dimension or something?
But then I noticed a subtle handle blending into the wall. There was a door right in front of me and I hadn’t even noticed it.
“Whoa,” I said excitedly. “Cobalt, you have a secret lair?”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Kind of.”
He pushed the door open. Blue light flooded into the room like a beacon.
“Welcome to my hoard, Muzo.”
Sixteen
Cobalt
I had never before let anybody into my inner sanctum.
But now, it was time.
Muzo’s jaw dropped as he stepped into the chamber. His pupils dilated as they adjusted to the difference in light. He looked like a statue as he clutched the bucket and stared into the water-filled glass enclosure surrounding us. It spanned from floor to ceiling, stretching across all four walls.
My hoard wasn’t in the room—it was the room.
“Is this... an aquarium?” Muzo breathed.
“You could say that,” I agreed.
Muzo stepped closer to the glass, then paused. “Can I touch it?”
“Yes.”
He placed his hand on the tank. Dappled light reflected off his face. His eyes shined bright with wonder. Just past the glass, huge strands of kelp slow-danced in the water. Little shrimp dug in the sandy substrate. Pencil-sized silver fish swam by in schools, and other tiny particles of life floated by.
Muzo was strangely silent.
I felt apprehensive waiting for his response. Was he entranced? Or was he trying to think of something nice to say?
It wasn’t a conventional dragon hoard. I knew that. That was why I kept it to myself. It meant too much to me to bring up in conversations for fear of ridicule. I’d rather keep it a secret than open myself up to negativity.
But Muzo was my fated mate. I cared about his opinion more than anybody else’s—and if I couldn’t tell my fated mate about my hoard, who could I tell?
“My brothers have never seen my hoard,” I said quietly. “You’re the only person I’ve allowed in here.”
Muzo didn’t turn around. “Just me?” he asked quietly.
I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat. “Yes.”
He didn’t say anything else. He just stared into the water.
I clutched my chest. This feeling wasn’t wrong. Muzo was my fated mate. But that didn’t mean he’d love my hoard the same way I did. He was his own person, with his own opinions. He could’ve hated water for all I knew.
With a flash of shame, I remembered that Muzo nearly drowned earlier. Was his silence from fear? Was bringing him here a mistake?
“I’m sorry, Muzo,” I said hurriedly. “I shouldn’t have—”
“I remember this place,” Muzo said softly.
I froze.
What did he mean by that? He’d never been in this chamber before. That was a fact. Since my brothers weren’t allowed here either, there was no way photos of it could’ve leaked.
As my mind raced with doubts and questions, Muzo turned around. Tears wet his eyes, but he didn’t look sad.
“I’ve seen this before,” Muzo insisted.
That was impossible.
Yet something in his expression gave me pause. There was a nostalgic lustre in his gaze.
He wasn’t lying about this.
I walked closer, standing by his side at the tank, then asked, “How?”
Muzo blinked at the kelp before letting out a long, deep sigh, like he’d been holding his breath for ages.
“Y’know how I lost my apartment and my job?” he asked.
I ground my teeth remembering the world’s cruelty to him, but didn’t interrupt. I nodded.
“Even though all that bad stuff happened, it was okay. I knew it’d work out in the end,” Muzo chirped.
I couldn’t comprehend that. I was lucky to have never experienced such hardship, but when I put myself in his shoes, I felt nothing but dread. Where did one go when they had nothing?
“How?” I asked.
Muzo smiled up at me. “Because I’m still alive.”
The strength of Muzo’s resolve struck me like lightning. I was rooted to the spot, captivated endlessly by him.
“And if I’m alive, anything’s possible,” Muzo added. “Right?”
A shiver of emotion ran through me. This small, goofy omega was wiser than anybody gave him credit for.
“Right,” I said slowly. Turning back to the tank, I asked, “Where have you seen this before?”
Muzo suddenly chuckled. “Oh, yeah, I forgot half my story. So, when I was a kid, I went on an awesome cruise with my mom. My dad was never in the picture, so it was just the two of us. Anyway, it was our first vacation ever. She’d saved up for a year at her cashier job. I was freaking stoked!”
I smiled along with his enthusiasm.
“So we bought our tickets and showed up to board. That’s when we saw the ‘no shifters’ sign.” Muzo’s grin lost its luster. “My mom checked the tickets, and sure enough, it was in the fine print, too. She’d been so excited to take me on a vacation that she didn’t check thoroughly.”
A cold feeling settled in my stomach like silt.
“But it was fine,” Muzo went on. “She told me to stay in my human form, and everything would be okay. I could totally do that, so aboard we went!”
Sensing the story was about to take a turn for the worst, I subconsciously moved closer to him.
“We had an awesome time,” Muzo said. “It was so much fun running around on a big ship, seeing the ocean, and eating as much shrimp as I wanted.”
I made a mental note to provide shrimp for him at the next opportunity.
“Anyways, it was a family cruise, so there were a bunch of other kids my age on board. We ran around chasing each other while our parents chilled.” Muzo paused thoughtfully. “And probably had a little too much to drink, now that I think about it, ‘cause nobody was chaperoning us.”
The unsettled feeling flared up again. I put my hand on Muzo’s shoulder as a reminder that it was in the past, and that he was safe. Whether the reminder was for his sake or mine, I didn’t know.
Muzo continued. “At one point, I got tired, so I took a break to look at the ocean. I leaned against the railing. My palms were all sweaty from chasing and being chased. But the other kids were still full of energy. They roughhoused as one big pack of unsupervised children... and they knocked me overboard.”
I held my breath. It was in the past, and Muzo was here with me now, but that didn’t stop the chill in my blood.
Muzo was quiet for a moment as he stared into the tank. “I shifted out of instinct. The second I hit the water, I was in jackal form, doggy paddling for my life. I heard later that on the ship, nobody knew what to do. They all stared at me in disbelief ‘cause they thought I was human, just like them. I wasn’t even supposed to be there.”
I kept waiting for the crack of emotion in Muzo’s voice, but it never came. He didn’t seem hurt when he had every right to be. How could so much positivity fit in one tiny omega?
“What happened next?” I asked.
Muzo tilted his head. “After a while, my legs got tired. I stopped struggling. I didn’t know when—or if—help was coming, so I figured I’d save my energy. For a minute, I sank below the surface and closed my eyes...” He pressed a hand to the glass. “And I saw this place.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“What?” I breathed.
“I dunno if it was a hallucination or vision or what, but it looked exactly like this room,” Muzo murmured. “There was this big glass tank full of water and the snail and those silvery fish and these little shrimp. It was mostly empty, like yours is.” Muzo angled his head towards me. “At the time, I really felt like I was there. Here, I mean. It was so peaceful and safe, I forgot I’d fallen overboard. I calmed down and shifted back. When I went up again for air, I was in human form, and the ship’s crew sent down an emergency ladder for me.”
Overwhelmed, I pulled Muzo into an embrace. He was so much smaller than me that I had to lean down to bury my face in his hair. It smelled amazing. So him. I filled my lungs with his scent, content knowing he was here with me right now, safe and secure.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I murmured.
Muzo laughed softly. “I appreciate that. But honestly, I’m glad it happened.”
I frowned. “How can you be glad that humans pushed you overboard? You could’ve died.”
“But I didn’t. Besides, it was an accident. No harm, no foul.” His smile reached his eyes. “If that never happened, I never would’ve seen that vision.” He paused, a blush staining his cheeks. “I think it led me to you, Cobalt.”
My heart squeezed with affection.
It was time to tell him.
“Muzo,” I murmured. “I—”
He gasped, loud and sudden, as if hit by a revelation. He sputtered and pointed over my shoulder with unbridled enthusiasm. “Cobalt!”
“Huh?”
“The snail! There’s another one!” Muzo cried.
I released him as he wriggled out of the hug and ran over to a different section of the tank. He glanced down at the snail in his bucket, then at the snail inside the aquarium.
“It’s the same kind,” Muzo exclaimed. “Did you know?”
I let out an amused huff as I joined him. “Are you asking if I know exactly what lives in my hoard?”
Muzo looked sheepish. “Oh, yeah. I guess that’s a dumb question to ask a dragon.”
I smiled, putting my hand on his shoulder. “I was only teasing. You’re right. It’s a Chromatimaeus brackish river snail—the same one as in your bucket.”
“Chromatimaeus brackish river snail,” Muzo repeated, slow and deliberate. “Try saying that ten times fast... So wait, what exactly is your hoard, Cobalt? Is it everything in this room?”
“Not quite. It’s difficult to describe.” I nodded towards the nondescript brown and gray snail inside the tank. “My hoard is this specific creature’s natural environment. A miniature ecosystem, you could say. A brackish river on our home island, complete with the same substrate, the same plants and animals. I’ve done my best to recreate it and make the most comfortable home possible.”
Muzo cocked his head curiously. “Hold on. This whole gigantic chamber... is for a single little snail?”
I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. “It’s not flashy, or interesting to most people. But it’s my passion.”
“Cobalt,” Muzo murmured.
I turned my head to avoid his gaze. “I’m sorry if you expected a fascinating hoard.”
Muzo’s laugh was unexpectedly warm. “What? No way, dude. This is so you!”
I blinked, looking back at him in confusion. “It is?”
“Cobalt, nobody else in the world is as kind as you. You went out of your way to make a super comfortable home for a plain little creature.” Muzo blushed. “Kinda like what you did for me.”
My alpha instincts blazed. “You are not plain. You’re special to me, Muzo,” I growled.
He grinned. “Just like the snail, right?”
I huffed, crossing my arms. “You’re even more special to me than the snail. But yes, I understand your point.”
Muzo glanced into the bucket. “Hey, you think this tank has enough space for two? I bet that guy would like a friend.”
Hope blossomed within me. The snail needed a friend—a mate.
“It’s interesting you say that. My original goal was to breed the snail and reintroduce them back to their natural habitat,” I explained. “But this isn’t an asexual species. I needed two snails, but for ages, I only had one. A single, lonely snail.” I smiled at Muzo. “Not anymore. Thanks to you, the species has a fighting chance.”
Muzo beamed with pure happiness. “Wow. That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what he’d said. His cheeks flushed a deep color and he stammered, “I mean, I don’t mean like—well, I did, but—”
I leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss.
Muzo let out a tiny squeak of surprise before giving in to it. He sighed, kissing me back. I wrapped my arms around his small back, holding him close.
It was a soft, innocent kiss—despite my dragon raging below the surface, demanding I kiss him harder, claim him, finally make him mine.
We pulled apart, breathless. Muzo’s eyes gleamed with affection.
“You’re mine,” I said.
The words slipped out of me before I realized what was happening.
Muzo let out a dazed, airy laugh. “I am?”
My fingers dug into him. Not painful, but possessive.
“You’re my fated mate, Muzo,” I growled gently.
He stared at me. It didn’t look like he was even breathing. Was it this much of a shock to him?
“I felt your trials among the humans as a pain in my heart,” I went on. “It didn’t subside until I found you. Until I knew you were safe.”
Finally, Muzo blinked like he’d returned to his body. A slow grin curved his mouth. “Until you ripped the door off its hinges, you mean.”
I chuckled. “You could say that.”
Muzo’s cheeks flushed. He couldn’t contain the joy bubbling inside him. “Fated mate, huh? Maybe I’m denser than an aquarium rock, but I had no idea.”
Now that the truth was out in the open, I felt a cloud-soft lightness in my chest.
“The broken door on the first day didn’t clue you in?” I asked.
“I figured it was an accident...”
“The overly indulgent gift basket wasn’t a clue?”
“I just thought you were being nice!”
“And the sex we had that night?” I prompted.
Muzo shrugged. “Hey, stuff like that happens all the time on reality TV shows.”
I snorted in amusement, then brushed my nose against his forehead. “Now you have no excuse,” I said, holding him closer. “And nowhere to run.”
He grinned, a hint of his inner jackal flashing in his dark eyes. “Who’s running?”
A surge of feeling welled up in my ribs. Muzo was here. He was mine.
He was finally, finally mine.
Now I wanted to show him exactly how much he meant to me.
The half-lidded, sensual look on Muzo’s face told me he wanted that, too. Fire ignited below my belly. I didn’t care if the Games weren’t over yet. My fated mate was right in front of me, and I wasn’t going to waste a single moment with him.
Hungry with desire, I closed the space between our bodies—or at least, I tried to.
I’d forgotten Muzo was still holding the bucket.
“Oh,” I said, glancing down at the beautiful, slimy creature. I looked up at Muzo bashfully. “We should take care of this first. Let me put the snail into the tank before we have sex.”
Muzo cackled, nearly doubling over with laughter. He wiped a tear from his eye. “Okay, I take it back. That is now officially the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
Seventeen
Muzo
I’d never been anyone’s fated mate before. But if the way Cobalt literally swept me off my feet and carried me into bed was any indication, I could definitely get used to it.
After the snails were united in the tank, Cobalt took me back into the bedroom. Outside, the sun was setting over the ocean, painting the room in pastel shades of pink and orange.
My heart raced as I lay in Cobalt’s bed. It smelled like him—musky and calming with a hint of spice. I could’ve been wrapped up in his sheets forever if it meant never leaving the cocoon of his scent.
He hovered over me, his arms and legs on either side of my body. The glossy sheen in his eyes reminded me of his dragon form, and they seemed so vast, like the ocean’s unfathomable depths.
I grasped the sides of his face. His rugged jaw was lined with pinpricks of stubble that felt pleasant against my hands.
He took one of my hands, then pressed a kiss to my palm that electrified my blood.
I inhaled a shaky breath. We’d been intimate before, but this felt different. Cobalt’s presence seemed bigger this time. He felt hungrier. Primal.
Cobalt’s lips parted. Instead of normal human teeth, I saw elongated dragon fangs. They grazed the sensitive plane of my palm, making my skin tingle. Within seconds, my blood buzzed, ringing in my ears.
He wasn’t holding back anymore.
“That tickles,” I said with a breathy giggle as his fangs brushed my skin.
I saw an amused glint in Cobalt’s eyes. He wasn’t overly expressive, but I liked that about him. He was the calm to my storm. I was loud and wore my heart on my sleeve; Cobalt was soft-spoken and kept his feelings close to his chest. He offered me the space to feel loudly and freely. His subtle smiles and soft laughs always felt like a gift because I knew they were genuine every time.
Cobalt’s hands drifted over my shirt. He slipped it over my head, exposing my bare chest. I’d always felt kind of embarrassed by my scrawniness. Sure, I was an omega, but I was a small omega. I was never anyone’s first choice.
Until now.
Cobalt stared at me like I was a raw steak and he was a wolf who hadn’t eaten in weeks. I swear I saw drool trickling from the corners of his mouth. Seeing that wild, lusty expression on his usually stoic face was so hot.
“I want to claim you,” Cobalt growled. His dragon’s deep, gravelly voice slipped in, making me shiver with anticipation.
I grinned. Even now, he managed to be sweeter than pie. I was half-naked, pinned underneath him on his bed, and he still asked for permission.
“I ain’t going anywhere,” I promised. “Go ahead and claim me.”
It was like a dam broke. Cobalt moved so fast I barely had time to process it. His mouth latched onto my shoulder while his hand cupped my cock through my jeans. I gasped. My heart raced faster than a jackrabbit.
